U.S. patent number 10,421,404 [Application Number 15/635,627] was granted by the patent office on 2019-09-24 for interior rearview mirror assembly with full screen video display.
This patent grant is currently assigned to MAGNA MIRRORS OF AMERICA, INC.. The grantee listed for this patent is MAGNA MIRRORS OF AMERICA, INC.. Invention is credited to Christopher R. Koetje, Anthony J. LaCross, Mark L. Larson, Eric Peterson.
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United States Patent |
10,421,404 |
Larson , et al. |
September 24, 2019 |
Interior rearview mirror assembly with full screen video
display
Abstract
An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a
mirror head having a mirror reflective element with a transflective
mirror reflector. A video display device is disposed rearward of
the mirror reflective element, and a polymer reflector layer is
disposed in front of the video display device. The video display
device is operable to display video images captured by a rearward
viewing camera of the vehicle. When the video display device is
operated to display video images, light emitted by the video
display device passes through the polymer reflector layer and the
mirror reflective element for viewing of displayed video images by
a driver of the vehicle viewing the mirror reflective element.
Linearly polarized light emitted by the video display device is
circularly polarized as it passes through the polymer reflector
layer, such that the displayed video images comprise circularly
polarized light.
Inventors: |
Larson; Mark L. (Grand Haven,
MI), Koetje; Christopher R. (Zeeland, MI), LaCross;
Anthony J. (Hastings, MI), Peterson; Eric (West Olive,
MI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MAGNA MIRRORS OF AMERICA, INC. |
Holland |
MI |
US |
|
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Assignee: |
MAGNA MIRRORS OF AMERICA, INC.
(Holland, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
60040292 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/635,627 |
Filed: |
June 28, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20170297498 A1 |
Oct 19, 2017 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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15192302 |
Jun 24, 2016 |
10046706 |
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62355460 |
Jun 28, 2016 |
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62237716 |
Oct 6, 2015 |
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62185206 |
Jun 26, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R
1/088 (20130101); B60R 1/12 (20130101); B60R
1/04 (20130101); B60R 1/00 (20130101); B60R
2001/1223 (20130101); B60R 2300/8066 (20130101); B60R
2300/806 (20130101); H04N 7/18 (20130101); B60R
2001/1253 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04N
7/18 (20060101); B60R 1/08 (20060101); B60R
1/04 (20060101); B60R 1/12 (20060101); B60R
1/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;348/148 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lee; Michael
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Honigman LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims the filing benefits of U.S.
provisional application Ser. No. 62/355,460, filed Jun. 28, 2016,
which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 15/192,302, filed Jun. 24, 2016, which
claims the filing benefits of U.S. provisional applications, Ser.
No. 62/237,716, filed Oct. 6, 2015, and Ser. No. 62/185,206, filed
Jun. 26, 2015, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in
their entireties.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said
interior rearview mirror assembly comprising: a mirror head
pivotable about a mirror support; wherein said mirror support is
configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped
with said interior rearview mirror assembly; wherein said mirror
head comprises a mirror reflective element having a transflective
mirror reflector that at least partially reflects light incident
thereon and at least partially transmits incident light
therethrough; wherein said mirror reflective element comprises a
reflective region defined by said transflective mirror reflector; a
video display device disposed rearward of said mirror reflective
element; a polymer reflector layer disposed between said mirror
reflective element and said video display device; wherein said
video display device comprises a display screen and a backlighting
array of light emitting diodes for backlighting said display
screen; wherein said display screen of said video display device
comprises a front display substrate and a rear display substrate,
and wherein said rear display substrate extends beyond a perimeter
of said front display substrate at a lower region of said display
screen, and wherein a lower portion of a mirror substrate of said
mirror reflective element extends over and in front of the portion
of said rear display substrate that extends beyond the perimeter of
said front display substrate at the lower region of said display
screen; wherein, with said mirror support attached at the interior
portion of the equipped vehicle, said video display device is
operable to display video images captured by a rearward viewing
camera of the equipped vehicle; wherein, when said video display
device is operated to display video images, light emitted by said
video display device passes through said polymer reflector layer
and said mirror reflective element for viewing of displayed video
images by a driver of the equipped vehicle viewing said mirror
reflective element; and wherein said transflective mirror reflector
and said polymer reflector layer allow at least 35 percent
transmission of visible light emitted by said video display device
and reflect at least about 35 percent of visible light incident at
a front surface of said mirror reflective element.
2. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said
video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at
least 75 percent of said reflective region of said mirror
reflective element.
3. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein
circuitry associated with said display screen is disposed on a
flexible printed circuit that is electrically connected at the
portion of said rear display substrate of said display screen and
that extends rearward from the portion of said rear display
substrate for electrical connection to a power source of the
equipped vehicle.
4. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 3, wherein a
touch sensor is disposed at said lower portion of said mirror
substrate and associated with circuitry at said flexible printed
circuit.
5. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said
display screen is optically coupled with said polymer reflector
layer via an optical adhesive.
6. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said
polymer reflector layer is optically coupled with said
transflective mirror reflector via an optical adhesive.
7. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said
mirror substrate of said mirror reflective element comprises a
single glass substrate having said transflective mirror reflector
disposed at a rear surface of said single glass substrate.
8. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein said
mirror reflective element comprises an electro-optic mirror
reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate
with an electro-optic medium disposed therebetween, and wherein
said mirror substrate comprises said front substrate, and wherein
said front substrate has a first surface and a second surface and
said rear substrate has a third surface and a fourth surface, said
second surface and said third surface opposing said electro-optic
medium, and wherein said transflective mirror reflector is disposed
at said third surface, and wherein said polymer reflector layer is
disposed between said fourth surface of said rear substrate and
said video display device.
9. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein
linearly polarized light emitted by said video display device is
circularly polarized as it passes through said polymer reflector
layer, such that the displayed video images comprise circularly
polarized light.
10. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said
interior rearview mirror assembly comprising: a mirror head
pivotable about a mirror support; wherein said mirror support is
configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped
with said interior rearview mirror assembly; wherein said mirror
head comprises a mirror reflective element, and wherein said mirror
reflective element comprises a transflective mirror reflector that
at least partially reflects light incident thereon and at least
partially transmits incident light therethrough; wherein said
mirror reflective element comprises a reflective region defined by
said transflective mirror reflector; a video display device
disposed rearward of said mirror reflective element, wherein said
video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at
least 75 percent of said reflective region of said mirror
reflective element; a polymer reflector layer; wherein said video
display device comprises a backlighting array of light emitting
diodes for backlighting said display screen; wherein said display
screen of said video display device comprises a front display
substrate and a rear display substrate, and wherein said rear
display substrate extends beyond a perimeter of said front display
substrate at a lower region of said display screen, and wherein a
lower portion of a mirror substrate of said mirror reflective
element extends over and in front of the portion of said rear
display substrate that extends beyond the perimeter of said front
display substrate at the lower region of said display screen;
wherein, with said mirror support attached at the interior portion
of the equipped vehicle, said video display device is operable to
display video images captured by a rearward viewing camera of the
equipped vehicle; wherein, when said video display device is
operated to display video images, light emitted by said video
display device passes through said polymer reflector layer and said
transflective mirror reflector for viewing of displayed video
images by a driver of the equipped vehicle viewing said mirror
reflective element; wherein linearly polarized light emitted by
said video display device is circularly polarized as it passes
through said polymer reflector layer, such that the displayed video
images comprise circularly polarized light; and wherein said
transflective mirror reflector and said polymer reflector layer
allow at least 35 percent transmission of visible light emitted by
said video display device and reflect at least about 35 percent of
visible light incident at a front surface of said mirror reflective
element.
11. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 10, wherein
circuitry associated with said display screen is disposed on a
flexible printed circuit that is electrically connected at the
portion of said rear display substrate of said display screen and
that extends rearward from the portion of said rear display
substrate for electrical connection to a power source of the
equipped vehicle, and wherein a touch sensor is disposed at said
lower portion of said mirror substrate and associated with
circuitry at said flexible printed circuit.
12. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 10, wherein said
mirror substrate of said mirror reflective element comprises a
single glass substrate having said transflective mirror reflector
disposed at a rear surface of said single glass substrate, and
wherein said polymer reflector layer is disposed to the rear of
said transflective mirror reflector.
13. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 10, wherein said
mirror reflective element comprises an electro-optic mirror
reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate
with an electro-optic medium disposed therebetween, and wherein
said mirror substrate comprises said front substrate, and wherein
said front substrate has a first surface and a second surface and
said rear substrate has a third surface and a fourth surface, said
second surface and said third surface opposing said electro-optic
medium, and wherein said transflective mirror reflector is disposed
at said third surface.
14. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 13, wherein said
polymer reflector layer is disposed between said fourth surface of
said rear substrate and said video display device, and wherein said
rear substrate has a thickness of 1.1 mm or less.
15. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 13, wherein said
polymer reflector layer is disposed at said third surface of said
rear substrate of said electro-optic mirror reflective element.
16. An interior rearview mirror assembly for a vehicle, said
interior rearview mirror assembly comprising: a mirror head
pivotable about a mirror support; wherein said mirror support is
configured to attach at an interior portion of a vehicle equipped
with said interior rearview mirror assembly; wherein said mirror
head comprises a mirror reflective element, and wherein said mirror
reflective element comprises a transflective mirror reflector that
at least partially reflects light incident thereon and at least
partially transmits incident light therethrough; wherein said
mirror reflective element comprises a reflective region defined by
said transflective mirror reflector; a video display device
disposed rearward of said mirror reflective element, wherein said
video display device comprises a display screen that occupies at
least 75 percent of said reflective region of said mirror
reflective element; a polymer reflector layer; wherein said video
display device comprises a backlighting array of light emitting
diodes for backlighting said display screen; wherein said display
screen of said video display device comprises a front display
substrate and a rear display substrate, and wherein said rear
display substrate extends beyond a perimeter of said front display
substrate at a lower region of said display screen, and wherein a
lower portion of a mirror substrate of said mirror reflective
element extends over and in front of the portion of said rear
display substrate that extends beyond the perimeter of said front
display substrate at the lower region of said display screen;
wherein circuitry associated with said display screen is disposed
on a flexible printed circuit that is electrically connected at the
portion of said rear display substrate of said display screen and
that extends rearward from the portion of said rear display
substrate for electrical connection to a power source of the
equipped vehicle; wherein a touch sensor is disposed at said lower
portion of said mirror substrate and associated with circuitry at
said flexible printed circuit; wherein, with said mirror support
attached at the interior portion of the equipped vehicle, said
video display device is operable to display video images captured
by a rearward viewing camera of the equipped vehicle; wherein, when
said video display device is operated to display video images,
light emitted by said video display device passes through said
polymer reflector layer and said transflective mirror reflector for
viewing of displayed video images by a driver of the equipped
vehicle viewing said mirror reflective element; wherein linearly
polarized light emitted by said video display device is circularly
polarized as it passes through said polymer reflector layer, such
that the displayed video images comprise circularly polarized
light; and wherein said transflective mirror reflector and said
polymer reflector layer allow at least 35 percent transmission of
visible light emitted by said video display device and reflect at
least about 35 percent of visible light incident at a front surface
of said mirror reflective element.
17. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 16, wherein said
mirror substrate of said mirror reflective element comprises a
single glass substrate having said transflective mirror reflector
disposed at a rear surface of said single glass substrate, and
wherein said polymer reflector layer is disposed to the rear of
said transflective mirror reflector.
18. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 16, wherein said
mirror reflective element comprises an electro-optic mirror
reflective element having a front substrate and a rear substrate
with an electro-optic medium disposed therebetween, and wherein
said mirror substrate comprises said front substrate, and wherein
said front substrate has a first surface and a second surface and
said rear substrate has a third surface and a fourth surface, said
second surface and said third surface opposing said electro-optic
medium, and wherein said transflective mirror reflector is disposed
at said third surface.
19. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 18, wherein said
polymer reflector layer is disposed between said fourth surface of
said rear substrate and said video display device, and wherein said
rear substrate has a thickness of 1.1 mm or less.
20. The interior rearview mirror assembly of claim 18, wherein said
polymer reflector layer is disposed at said third surface of said
rear substrate of said electro-optic mirror reflective element.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of interior
rearview mirror assemblies for vehicles and, more particularly, to
interior rearview mirror assemblies with a display.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to provide a mirror assembly that is adjustably mounted
to an interior portion of a vehicle, such as via a double ball
pivot or joint mounting configuration where the mirror casing and
reflective element are adjusted relative to the interior portion of
a vehicle by pivotal movement about the double ball pivot
configuration. The mirror casing and reflective element are
pivotable about either or both of the ball pivot joints by a user
that is adjusting a rearward field of view of the reflective
element. It is also generally known to provide a display screen at
the mirror assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an interior rearview mirror assembly
that includes a mirror casing, a mirror reflective element and a
display device disposed behind the mirror reflective element and
operable to display information for viewing by the driver of the
vehicle through the mirror reflective element. The mirror
reflective element comprises a transflective mirror reflector
whereby the mirror reflector reflects light that is incident on the
reflective element and partially transmits illumination emitted
from the display device through the mirror reflective element. The
mirror assembly includes a polymer reflector or film disposed
between the mirror reflective element and the display screen. The
polymer reflector or film converts linearly polarized light (that
is emitted by the display screen) to circularly polarized light
(that passes through the reflective element). The display screen or
display area of the display device generally encompasses or spans
the height and width of the mirror reflective element and may
occupy at least 75 percent of the electro-optically active
reflective area of the mirror reflective element.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of the
present invention will become apparent upon review of the following
specification in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interior rearview mirror
assembly in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a video display device for an
interior rearview mirror assembly in accordance with the present
invention;
FIG. 2A is a sectional view of the video display device of FIG.
2;
FIG. 3 is a sectional of an interior rearview mirror assembly in
accordance the present invention;
FIG. 3A is a sectional of another interior rearview mirror assembly
in accordance the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a sectional of another interior rearview mirror assembly
in accordance the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a sectional of another interior rearview mirror assembly
in accordance the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a sectional of another interior rearview mirror assembly
in accordance the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a sectional of another interior rearview mirror assembly
in accordance the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a video display device of the
present invention, showing use of an optical film that changes the
linearly polarized light that is emitted by the display device to
circular polarized light;
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the video display device of the
present invention, showing the reflected light as circularly
polarized light;
FIG. 10 is a graph of the spectral reflectance of light at the
optical film of the video display device of the present
invention;
FIG. 11 is a graph of the spectral reflectance of light at a metal
thin film mirror reflector; and
FIG. 12 is a graph of the spectral reflectance of light at an
optical film bonded to a metal thin film mirror reflector.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments
depicted therein, an interior rearview mirror assembly 10 for a
vehicle includes a casing 12 that houses a reflective element 14
and a display device 16, which provides a display area 15 visible
to the driver of the vehicle through the reflective element 14
(FIGS. 1 and 2). In the illustrated embodiment, the mirror assembly
10 is configured to be adjustably mounted to an interior portion of
a vehicle (such as to an interior or in-cabin surface of a vehicle
windshield or a headliner of a vehicle or the like) via a mounting
structure or mounting configuration or assembly 18. The casing 12
of the interior rearview mirror assembly 10 may house all or a
portion of the components of the interior rearview mirror assembly
10 and may be integrally formed with portions thereof.
The principal or main viewing area of the full display video mirror
has the same or slightly better field of view of a typical rearview
mirror (minimum of about 20 degrees). This image could be 1:1 scale
of what a reflected image would be. The left and right end zones
may be delineated by a divider overlay image. Those end zones would
display a distorted image so that a greater horizontal and/or
vertical field of view can be seen. This would be similar to a
convex or aspheric or "flat to bent" reflector. This could be tuned
to reduce/eliminate blind zones between the exterior rearview
mirror view and the interior rearview mirror view. Also, those end
zones could have different display modes, such as, for example, a
"trailering mode" or the like, where the zones could potentially
show the edges of the road (with overlay of car edges or actual
edges) so at a glance the driver can see how the equipped vehicle
is centered in the lane. The display may include a "1:1 mode" that
would turn off the dividers if that is annoying to some drivers.
The mirror assembly and video display device may utilize aspects of
the assemblies and devices described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,855,755
and/or U.S. Publication No. US-2016-0375833 and/or U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 15/613,357, filed Jun. 5, 2017, and published
Dec. 14, 2017 as U.S. Patent Publication No. US-2017-0355312,
and/or U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/501,263, filed May
4, 2017, and/or PCT Application No. PCT/IB17/52542, filed May 2,
2017, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their
entireties.
The mirror reflective element 14 of the interior rearview mirror
assembly 10 may comprise an electro-optic mirror reflective and the
display device 16 is disposed at a rear surface of the
electro-optic mirror reflective element for emitting illumination
and displaying images and/or other information at the display area
15. In the illustrated embodiment, the display area 15 encompasses
substantially all of the reflective element 14, such that the
display area 15 is substantially the same size as the visible
reflective surface. For example, the display area 15 may occupy at
least 75 percent of the area of the visible reflective surface of
the reflective element (or the electro-optically active region of
the reflective element), preferably at least 85 percent of the area
of the visible reflective surface of the reflective element, and
more preferably at least 95 percent of the area of the visible
reflective surface of the reflective element. The display device 16
is disposed at the rear surface of the electro-optic mirror
reflective element 14, with a mirror reflector film or layer
disposed at the front surface of the rear substrate (commonly
referred to as the third surface of the reflective element) and
opposing an electro-optic medium, such as an electrochromic medium
disposed between the front and rear substrates and bounded by a
perimeter seal. Optionally, the mirror reflector could be disposed
at the rear surface of the rear substrate (commonly referred to as
the fourth surface of the reflective element), while remaining
within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The mirror reflector comprises a transflective mirror reflector and
provides a substantially reflective layer at the display area 15,
while being at least partially transmissive of light or
illumination emitted by display device 16, as discussed below. The
transflective mirror reflector is partially transmissive of visible
light therethrough and partially reflective of visible light
incident thereon and, thus, the presence of the video display
device behind the reflective element is rendered covert by the
transflective mirror reflector and information displayed by the
video display device is only viewable through the mirror reflector
and reflective element when the video display device is activated
or backlit to display such images and/or information for viewing by
the driver of the vehicle when the driver is normally operating the
vehicle.
In the illustrated embodiment, the electro-optic mirror reflective
element 14 of the interior rearview mirror assembly 10 includes a
front substrate and a rear substrate spaced from front substrate
with the electro-optic medium (such as an electrochromic medium)
and transparent conductive or semi-conductive layers (such as
described below) sandwiched between the substrates (with the
transparent conductive layer disposed at a rear surface of front
substrate [the second surface of the laminate electro-optical
element] and the transparent conductive layer disposed at the front
surface of rear substrate [the third surface of the laminate
electro-optical element]). For example, the conductive layers may
comprise an indium tin oxide (ITO) material or a thin metallic
layer sandwiched between two transparent conductive layers (a
TC/M/TC stack of layers) such as ITO/Metal/ITO (for example,
ITO/Ag/ITO) or a doped tin oxide or a doped zinc oxide or the like,
so as to provide the desired conductivity and transparency at the
second and third surfaces of the fourth surface reflector
reflective element or cell. An electrical sheet resistance of less
than about 20 ohms/square is preferred for such transparent
conductor layers; more preferably less than about 15 ohms/square
and most preferably less than about 10 ohms/square, while visible
light transmission through such transparent conductive coated
substrates is preferably at least about 70% T, more preferably at
least about 75% T and most preferably is at least about 80% T. An
epoxy seal material or the like is applied between the substrates
to define the cavity for the electrochromic medium and to adhere
the substrates together.
The display device is operable to display video images captured by
a rearward viewing camera, such as a camera mounted at a rear
portion of the vehicle or that views through a rear window of the
vehicle so as to have a rearward field of view rearward and at
least partially sideward of the vehicle. The camera may capture
images during normal operation of the vehicle, such as when the
driver of the vehicle drives the vehicle forwardly along a road.
Video images are displayed by the display device during such normal
operation, such as to provide enhanced rearward viewing that
encompasses regions not viewable to a driver of a vehicle viewing a
conventional interior rearview mirror assembly. The display device
may also display other information to the driver, such as advanced
driver assistance system (ADAS) information or the like, such as
via text or images or icons or indicia displayed at or over or
instead of the video images, depending on the particular situation
and desired display appearance. Optionally, the system may
determine that the mirror head is not adjusted for proper rearward
viewing or for viewing of displayed images, and the display device
may display a message (such as text or indicia or the like) to
alert the driver to adjust the angle of the mirror head for optimum
or enhanced viewing by the driver.
Optionally, the display system of the present invention may operate
to adjust the field of view of the rearward viewing camera so that
the desired or appropriate view is displayed at the video display
device. For example, the field of view may be angled or aimed
upward or generally horizontal for highway or "normal" driving, and
may be angled or aimed downward for parking driving situations. The
field of view may be adjusted by mechanically adjusting the camera
or by displaying different portions of a wide angle field of view
of the camera (such as by displaying only a lower region of the
captured image data for parking maneuvers).
In the illustrated embodiment, the display device 16 comprises a
display module having a display screen (such as a multi-pixel LCD
panel/screen backlit by a plurality of LEDs) and a circuit element
(such as a printed circuit board or the like, such as a silicon
substrate having circuitry established thereon) disposed at the
rear of the display screen. Circuit board has circuitry established
thereat (such as by establishing the circuitry at or on a silicon
substrate using CMOS technology or the like), and such circuitry
may be configured for controlling the display functions and for
controlling the dimming or variable reflectance of the reflective
element.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 2A, the display device 16 includes a front
glass substrate 16a and a rear glass substrate 16b, with the
circuitry associated with the display being disposed at a flexible
printed circuit (FPC) 16c. The circuitry includes display power
supply components and display driver IC and other circuitry
associated with powering and controlling or reconfiguring the
display device. In the illustrated embodiment, the back display
glass extends below the front glass at a central region, so that
the connector and circuitry is disposed at a central region below
the active display area. When disposed behind a mirror reflective
element, the reflective element may have a central chin portion
that extends down to generally encompass the lower region of the
back display glass and the FPC.
For example, and such as shown in FIG. 3, the reflective element 14
may have a front glass substrate 20 and a rear glass substrate 22,
with the front glass substrate extending downward (beyond a lower
perimeter region of the rear glass substrate) so as to provide an
overhang region at the lower portion of the reflective element at
the central lower region of the back display glass 16b. The
reflective element is nested in the mirror housing or casing 24
with the display device disposed behind the reflective element and
in the mirror casing. The FPC 16c is routed below the backlight and
its heat sink and within the mirror casing, where it can be
electrically connected to circuitry of the mirror assembly or to a
wire harness or the like for electrically powering the video
display device.
In the illustrated embodiment, the lower region of the front
substrate 20 of the reflective element has a printed graphics
applique and capacitive touch sensor (and optionally a light guide
for backlighting the applique and sensor), such as for a user input
to allow the driver of the vehicle to turn on and off the display
device and/or turn on and off the dimming mirror and/or the like.
In an EC mirror construction, the overhang region below the rear
substrate and perimeter EC seal provides space for such a sensor or
sensors and the like in front of the lower region of the rear
display glass and connection with the FPC.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the reflective element 14' comprises a third
surface reflector mirror with a metallic partially reflective and
partially light transmissive reflector disposed at the front
surface of the rear substrate (the "third surface" that opposes the
EC medium or SPM layer). The reflective element 14' also includes a
thin polymer reflector (such as a Wavista film commercially
available from Fujifilm) disposed at the mirror reflector (such as
an EC mirror reflector stack comprising multiple layers or coatings
to provide the desired degrees of light transmission and reflection
of light incident thereon). For example, the Wavista and reflector
stack 21 (which may comprise multiple thin layers of partially
transmissive and/or partially reflective layers) may have the
Wavista film adhered at the front surface of the rear glass
substrate with the reflector coatings or stack disposed over the
Wavista film, or the reflector coatings or stack may be disposed at
the front surface of the rear glass substrate, with the Wavista
film established over the reflector coatings/stack.
The rear glass substrate may comprise any suitable glass substrate,
such as a substrate having a thickness of around 2 mm or
thereabouts. Optionally, the rear substrate may comprise Gorilla
glass, which may have a thickness of between about 0.4 mm and 1.1
mm. Such an application of Gorilla glass provides a weight
reduction to the mirror and may provide an increase in strength of
the mirror reflective element that may provide enhanced head impact
protection. The Wavista and reflector stack may be disposed at the
front surface of the Gorilla Glass substrate. The thin rear
substrate allows for the reflector stack to be disposed at the
front surface and the Wavista film to be disposed at the rear
surface of the thin rear glass substrate.
As shown in FIG. 4, for a flat or planar single substrate
reflective element, a thin film metal reflector coating stack is
disposed at the rear surface of the mirror substrate, and a polymer
reflector (such as a Wavista film commercially available from
Fujifilm) is adhered at the metal reflector via a layer of adhesive
(such as a very thin layer of about 15 microns or thereabouts) so
as to optically couple the polymer reflector with the metal
transflective reflector. The front glass of the video display
device is optically coupled with the polymer reflector via an
optical coupling adhesive (such as a thin layer of optical silicone
or acrylic), which may be bounded by a structural seal or adhesive
to contain the optical adhesive and to provide the desired or
appropriate gap or spacing for the optical adhesive. Optionally,
the display screen may be optically bonded to the mirror substrate
with or without the polymer reflector disposed therebetween.
Because the adhesive layers and reflector layers are quite thin,
there is little space between the lower region of the mirror
substrate and the lower region of the display back glass for the
touch sensor and backlighting. Optionally, a spacer may be provided
to space the video display device rearward of the polymer reflector
a sufficient amount to allow for the touch sensor and backlighting.
Optionally, the rear surface of the lower region of the mirror
substrate may be ground to provide a recess or indentation to
provide additional spacing for the touch sensor and
backlighting.
The polymer reflector functions to convert linear polarized light
(such as emitted by the video display device) to circularly
polarized light (see FIGS. 8 and 9), and provides the reflective
characteristics shown in FIG. 10. For example, and such as shown in
FIG. 8, light emitted by the mirror-shape cut or formed TFT display
screen may be horizontally polarized, and, as it passes through a
Wavista optical film, the light is converted to circularly
polarized light. Optionally, the polymer reflector and video
display device may be implemented at the rear of a mirror glass
substrate without a metal reflector at the rear surface of the
mirror substrate (such as shown in FIG. 4). The addition of a metal
reflector (FIG. 5) at the rear of the mirror substrate enhances the
reflectivity and is still partially transmissive, and also
partially neutralizes the color of the reflected image (that may
otherwise be tinted due to the polymer reflector characteristics).
A graphical representation of the reflective characteristics of a
thin film metal reflector and a hybrid polymer reflector optically
coupled to the thin film metal reflector are shown in FIGS. 11 and
12. When the polarization of the display output is aligned with the
polarization of the film/reflector, the mirror reflective element
and display construction can achieve up to about 90% T and up to
about 40% R to 50% R.
Optionally, and such as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the video display
device may be spaced from the polymer reflector via a perimeter
structural adhesive that at least substantially circumscribes the
display front glass of the display device, such that there is an
air gap (no optical adhesive) between the display front glass and
the polymer reflector at the active display region of the display
device.
The mirror assembly of the present invention thus provides enhanced
light transmission through the reflective element assembly, so that
the display screen may be viewable with reduced backlighting power.
Because the display screen has cross dimensions so as to
substantially encompass the reflective area or active area of the
reflective element, the display screen, when backlit by a plurality
of powered light emitting diodes, may generate significant heat.
Thus, an increase in light transmission provided by the Wavista
polymer layer allows for reduced powering of the LEDs, which
results in reduced heat generation by the display screen. For
example, with a Wavista polymer layer and reflector stack at a
single substrate reflective element assembly or an undimmed
electro-optic reflective element assembly may allow for at least
about 35 percent light transmission and at least about 40 percent
reflectivity of light incident at the reflective element assembly.
Preferably, the mirror reflective element assembly, with a Wavista
polymer layer (disposed behind a single substrate of a fixed
reflectance mirror reflective element assembly or disposed behind
the electro-optic medium of a variable reflectance mirror
reflective element assembly) as described herein, provides at least
about 40 percent visible light transmission or at least about 50
percent visible light transmission and up to about 60 percent
visible light transmission, while also providing at least about 60
percent visible light reflectance, or at least about 50 percent
visible light reflectance or at least about 40 percent visible
light reflectance. Such a mirror reflective element assembly thus
is twice as transmissive to visible light as known transflective
mirror reflective elements, which typically are up to around 25
percent light transmissive (or less).
The polymer layer provides enhanced visible light transmission and
enhanced visible light reflectance, which allows the display screen
to be operated at reduced power (and thus generating a reduced
amount of heat). The addition of the Wavista polymer layer allows
for use of a more transmissive transflective reflector or stack
without such use resulting in the display screen being viewable
through the reflective element by a driver of the vehicle viewing
the mirror reflective element when the display screen is not
activated.
Because the display screen may be active for prolonged periods of
time, the mirror head and/or display screen or module preferably
includes heat dissipating means, such as a heatsink or the like.
Optionally, the housing may comprise a heat reducing or heat
dissipating material, such as aluminum, plastic and/or magnesium or
the like. In addition, the mounting bracket to the windscreen or
windshield may be thermally connected, in order to increase the
heat dissipation from the module.
As shown in FIG. 3, the reflective element may include an opaque
hiding layer or perimeter metallized band at the periphery of the
rear surface of the front substrate, in order to hide the perimeter
seal from view (a similar perimeter band is shown in FIGS. 4-7, but
at the rear of the single mirror substrate to hide the casing and
other elements of the display device). Optionally, a perimeter
hiding layer or band or mask may be disposed at the fourth surface
(the rear surface of the rear substrate of an electro-optic
reflective element) to hide elements of the display device.
Optionally, the circuit board may also be coupled with a
photo/glare light sensor established rearward of the display device
for providing a viewing angle capable to sensing glare on the
display area, such as in a location rearward of the display screen
and forward (as in forward with respect to the direction of the
travel of the vehicle) of the front glass substrate for detecting
or sensing the light (such as ambient light or glare light) at the
mirror reflective element and the display device 16. The sensor may
be disposed behind the front substrate (such as at an overhang
region where the cross dimension of the front substrate is greater
than the cross dimension of the rear substrate), so that the sensor
is not behind the display screen or the electro-optic (such as
electrochromic) medium.
The glare light sensor may be integrated with an ON/OFF user input
or touch sensor behind the front glass substrate that is configured
to actuate based on a touch event at an exterior surface of the
electro-optic mirror reflective element. This integration reduces
the overall dimensions of the mirror and optimizes light sensor
position, namely, it places the light sensor closer to the first
surface of front substrate of the reflective element, which allows
for a wider viewing angle. Such a sensor may also be positioned at
alternative locations and may also be used to sense night-time
driving conditions of the vehicle, such as relative light
conditions, headlights, and other conditions indicative of
night-time driving. For instance, the glare light sensor may be
integrated above the plane of the backlit thin film transistor
(TFT)--LCD display screen or panel. With respect to the user input
integrated with the sensor, the input or sensor may provide
capacitive or optical detection of a finger, may include light
management films to prevent backlight from affecting the sensor,
and may include color applique, printed, or laser etched graphics.
The user input or sensor and mirror assembly may utilize aspects of
the sensors and mirror assemblies described in U.S. Pat. No.
8,154,418 and/or International Publication Nos. WO 2011/044312; WO
2012/051500 and/or WO 2013/071070, which are all hereby
incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The display device, such as shown in FIG. 3, may be disposed behind
an electro-optic reflective element and is operable to display
images and information for viewing by the driver of the vehicle
through the transflective mirror reflector coating. The display
area of the display screen is sized to substantially encompass the
electro-optically active region (the region bounded by the
perimeter seal) of the mirror reflective element. The display
device 16 may comprise any suitable display device, such as a video
display device, and such as a multi-pixel display screen (such as a
backlit dot matrix liquid crystal display or a thin film transistor
or TFT display screen) that is backlit by a plurality of
illumination sources, such as a two dimensional array of a
plurality of white light-emitting light emitting diodes or the
like. The display device may utilize aspects of the
display-on-demand transflective type displays and/or video displays
or display screens of the types disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.
8,890,955; 7,855,755; 7,338,177; 7,274,501; 7,255,451; 7,195,381;
7,184,190; 7,046,448; 5,668,663; 5,724,187; 5,530,240; 6,329,925;
6,690,268; 7,734,392; 7,370,983; 6,902,284; 6,428,172; 6,420,975;
5,416,313; 5,285,060; 5,193,029 and/or 4,793,690, and/or in U.S.
Pat. Pub. Nos. US-2006-0050018; US-2009-0015736; US-2009-0015736
and/or US-2010-0097469, which are all hereby incorporated herein by
reference in their entireties.
As discussed above, the mirror assembly may comprise an
electro-optic or electrochromic mirror assembly that includes an
electro-optic or electrochromic reflective element. The perimeter
edges of the reflective element may be encased or encompassed by
the perimeter element or portion of the bezel portion to conceal
and contain and envelop the perimeter edges of the substrates and
the perimeter seal disposed therebetween. The electrochromic mirror
element of the electrochromic mirror assembly may utilize the
principles disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,274,501;
7,255,451; 7,195,381; 7,184,190; 6,690,268; 5,140,455; 5,151,816;
6,178,034; 6,154,306; 6,002,544; 5,567,360; 5,525,264; 5,610,756;
5,406,414; 5,253,109; 5,076,673; 5,073,012; 5,117,346; 5,724,187;
5,668,663; 5,910,854; 5,142,407 and/or 4,712,879, which are hereby
incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Although shown as an electrochromic mirror application, it is
envisioned that the mirror assembly may comprise a prismatic or
flat glass reflective element, while remaining within the spirit
and scope of the present invention. For example, the full display
mirror may comprise a fixed reflectance or non-electro-optic
reflective element, such as a flat or planar glass reflective
element or the like, with a transflective mirror reflector disposed
at a rear surface of the reflective element. The reflective element
may comprise a thin chrome layer and may comprise a dielectric
mirror that is transparent and reflective, such as, for example, at
least about 35 percent reflective (such as, for example, about 42
percent reflective or thereabouts). Optionally, the second surface
of the LCD display screen may comprise a reflector to enhance
reflectance of the mirror reflective element. Optionally, the front
glass at the LCD display screen may comprise Gorilla glass or other
suitably durable and thin and strong glass substrate.
Optionally, the reflective element may comprise a prismatic
reflective element, and the prismatic mirror assembly may be
mounted or attached at an interior portion of a vehicle (such as at
an interior surface of a vehicle windshield) via any suitable
mounting means, and the reflective element may be toggled or
flipped or adjusted between its daytime reflectivity position and
its nighttime reflectivity position via any suitable toggle means,
such as by utilizing aspects of the mirror assemblies described in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,318,870 and/or 7,249,860, and/or U.S. Publication
No. US-2010-0085653, which are hereby incorporated herein by
reference in their entireties. Optionally, for example, the
interior rearview mirror assembly may comprise a prismatic mirror
assembly, such as the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,420,756;
7,289,037; 7,274,501; 7,249,860; 7,338,177 7,255,451; 7,289,037;
7,249,860; 6,318,870; 6,598,980; 5,327,288; 4,948,242; 4,826,289;
4,436,371 and/or 4,435,042, which are hereby incorporated herein by
reference in their entireties. A variety of mirror accessories and
constructions are known in the art, such as those disclosed in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 5,555,136; 5,582,383; 5,680,263; 5,984,482; 6,227,675;
6,229,319 and/or 6,315,421 (which are hereby incorporated herein by
reference in their entireties), that can benefit from the present
invention.
Optionally, the reflective element may include an opaque or
substantially opaque or hiding perimeter layer or coating or band
disposed around a perimeter edge region of the front substrate
(such as at a perimeter region of the rear or second surface of the
front substrate) to conceal or hide or the perimeter seal from
viewing by the driver of the vehicle when the mirror assembly is
normally mounted in the vehicle. Such a hiding layer or perimeter
band may be reflective or not reflective and may utilize aspects of
the perimeter bands and mirror assemblies described in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,066,112; 7,626,749; 7,274,501; 7,184,190 and/or 7,255,451,
and/or International Publication Nos. WO 2010/124064 and/or WO
2011/044312, which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference
in their entireties.
Aspects of the display device and mirror reflective element
construction of the present invention may also be used in video
mirrors such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,057,875 and/or
U.S. Publication No. US-2014-0347488, which are hereby incorporated
by reference herein in their entireties. In such video mirrors that
utilize a full-screen or near full-screen video display, an
actuator device may be adjustable to tilt a mirrored glass element
in one direction, thereby moving the mirrored glass element to an
off-axis position which approximately simultaneously changes the
on/off state of a video display module. The actuator device is also
adjustable to tilt the glass element in another direction, thereby
moving the glass element to an on-axis position which approximately
simultaneously changes the on/off state of the display module. The
mirror assembly and display and adjustment may utilize aspects of
the mirror assemblies described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,205,780, which
is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The display device may also be controlled or operable in response
to an input or signal, such as a signal received from one or more
cameras or image sensors of the vehicle, such as a video camera or
sensor, such as a CMOS imaging array sensor, a CCD sensor or the
like, and image processors or image processing techniques, such as
utilizing aspects of the cameras and image processors described
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,550,677; 5,670,935; 5,760,962; 6,498,620;
6,396,397; 6,222,447; 6,201,642; 6,097,023; 5,877,897; 5,796,094;
5,715,093; 6,922,292; 6,757,109; 6,717,610; 6,590,719; 6,320,176;
6,559,435; 6,831,261; 6,806,452; 6,822,563; 6,946,978; 7,038,577;
7,004,606 and/or 7,720,580, and/or U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos.
US-2006-0171704; US-2009-0244361 and/or US-2010-0214791, and/or
International Publication Nos. WO 2009/046268 and/or WO
2009/036176, which are all hereby incorporated herein by reference
in their entireties, or from one or more imaging systems of the
vehicle, such as a reverse or backup aid system, such as a rearward
directed vehicle vision system utilizing principles disclosed in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,550,677; 5,760,962; 5,670,935; 6,201,642;
6,396,397; 6,498,620; 6,717,610 and/or 6,757,109, which are hereby
incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, a trailer
hitching aid or tow check system, such as the type disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No. 7,005,974, which is hereby incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety, a cabin viewing or monitoring device or
system, such as a baby viewing or rear seat viewing camera or
device or system or the like, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,877,897 and/or 6,690,268, which are hereby incorporated herein by
reference in their entireties, a video communication device or
system, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,690,268, which is
hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and/or the
like. The imaging sensor or camera may be activated and the display
screen may be activated in response to the vehicle shifting into
reverse, such that the display screen is viewable by the driver and
is displaying an image of the rearward scene while the driver is
reversing the vehicle. It is envisioned that an image processor or
controller (such as an EyeQ.TM. image processing chip available
from Mobileye Vision Technologies Ltd. of Jerusalem, Israel, and
such as an image processor of the types described in International
Pub. No. WO 2010/099416, which is hereby incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety) may process image data captured by the
rearward facing camera to assess glare lighting conditions (such as
to detect headlights of following vehicles that may cause glare at
the interior and/or exterior rearview mirror assemblies of the
equipped vehicle), and the controller may adjust or control the
dimming of the electro-optic mirror assembly or assemblies of the
equipped vehicle responsive to such image processing.
The mirror assembly may also include user actuatable inputs
operable to control any of the accessories of or associated with
the mirror assembly and/or an accessory module or the like. The
user input may incorporate one or more touch or proximity sensitive
user inputs and associated icons or the like so a user can readily
identify the purpose or function of the user inputs and actuate the
appropriate or desired or selected user input. For example, the
mirror assembly may include touch sensitive elements or touch
sensors or proximity sensors, such as the types of touch sensitive
elements described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,594,222; 6,001,486;
6,310,611; 6,320,282; 6,627,918; 7,224,324 and/or 7,253,723, and/or
International Publication Nos. WO 2012/051500 and/or WO
2013/071070, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in
their entireties, or such as proximity sensors of the types
described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,224,324; 7,249,860 and/or 7,446,924,
and/or International Publication No. WO 2004/058540, which are
hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, or
such as membrane type switches, such as described in U.S. Pat. No.
7,360,932, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety, or such as detectors and the like, such as the types
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,255,541; 6,504,531; 6,501,465;
6,492,980; 6,452,479; 6,437,258 and/or 6,369,804, which are hereby
incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, and/or the
like, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
The mirror assembly may comprise any suitable construction, such
as, for example, a mirror assembly with the reflective element
being nested in the mirror casing and with a bezel portion that
circumscribes a perimeter region of the front surface of the
reflective element, or with the mirror casing having a curved or
beveled perimeter edge around the reflective element and with no
overlap onto the front surface of the reflective element (such as
by utilizing aspects of the mirror assemblies described in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 7,255,451; 7,289,037; 7,360,932; 8,049,640; 8,277,059
and/or 8,529,108, or such as a mirror assembly having a rear
substrate of an electro-optic or electrochromic reflective element
nested in the mirror casing, and with the front substrate having
curved or beveled perimeter edges, or such as a mirror assembly
having a prismatic reflective element that is disposed at an outer
perimeter edge of the mirror casing and with the prismatic
substrate having curved or beveled perimeter edges, such as
described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,508,831; 8,730,553; 9,598,016 and/or
9,346,403, and/or U.S. Publication Nos. US-2014-0313563 and/or
US-2015-0097955, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference
in their entireties (and with electrochromic and prismatic mirrors
of such construction are commercially available from the assignee
of this application under the trade name INFINITY.TM. mirror).
Optionally, the mirror assembly may include one or more other
accessories at or within the mirror casing, such as one or more
electrical or electronic devices or accessories, such as antennas,
including global positioning system (GPS) or cellular phone
antennas, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,552, a
communication module, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,688,
a blind spot detection system, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,929,786 and/or 5,786,772, transmitters and/or receivers, such as
a garage door opener or the like, a digital network, such as
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,575, a high/low headlamp
controller, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,796,094 and/or
5,715,093, a memory mirror system, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 5,796,176, a hands-free phone attachment, a video device for
internal cabin surveillance and/or video telephone function, such
as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,760,962 and/or 5,877,897, a remote
keyless entry receiver, lights, such as map reading lights or one
or more other lights or illumination sources, such as disclosed in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,690,268; 5,938,321; 5,813,745; 5,820,245;
5,673,994; 5,649,756; 5,178,448; 5,671,996; 4,646,210; 4,733,336;
4,807,096; 6,042,253; 5,669,698; 7,195,381; 6,971,775 and/or
7,249,860, microphones, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.
7,657,052; 6,243,003; 6,278,377 and/or 6,420,975, speakers,
antennas, including global positioning system (GPS) or cellular
phone antennas, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,552, a
communication module, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,688,
a voice recorder, a blind spot detection system, such as disclosed
in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,720,580; 7,038,577; 6,882,287; 5,929,786 and/or
5,786,772, transmitters and/or receivers, such as for a garage door
opener or a vehicle door unlocking system or the like (such as a
remote keyless entry system), a digital network, such as described
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,575, a high/low headlamp controller, such as
a camera-based headlamp control, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,796,094 and/or 5,715,093, a memory mirror system, such as
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,176, a hands-free phone
attachment, an imaging system or components or circuitry or display
thereof, such as an imaging and/or display system of the types
described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,400,435; 7,526,103; 6,690,268 and/or
6,847,487, and/or U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US-2006-0125919, a video
device for internal cabin surveillance (such as for sleep detection
or driver drowsiness detection or the like) and/or video telephone
function, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,760,962 and/or
5,877,897, a remote keyless entry receiver, a seat occupancy
detector, a remote starter control, a yaw sensor, a clock, a carbon
monoxide detector, status displays, such as displays that display a
status of a door of the vehicle, a transmission selection (4 wd/2
wd or traction control (TCS) or the like), an antilock braking
system, a road condition (that may warn the driver of icy road
conditions) and/or the like, a trip computer, a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS) receiver (such as described in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 6,124,647; 6,294,989; 6,445,287; 6,472,979; 6,731,205 and/or
7,423,522, and/or an ONSTAR.RTM. system, a compass, such as
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,924,212; 4,862,594; 4,937,945;
5,131,154; 5,255,442 and/or 5,632,092, and/or any other accessory
or circuitry or the like (with all of the above-referenced patents
and publications being commonly assigned and being hereby
incorporated herein by reference in their entireties).
Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments
may be carried out without departing from the principles of the
present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the
scope of the appended claims as interpreted according to the
principles of patent law.
* * * * *